Portable vice

ABSTRACT

A portable vice is disclosed which is formed of a C-clamp that is adapted for rigid mounting to a structural member and is provided with auxiliary clamp means which cooperates with the Cclamp to supportingly position and hold a workpiece.

Unified Siafies ateni 1191 Nunez 1 Feb. 27, 1973 1/1963 3/1962 Manz............. 5/1958 11/1883 PORTABLE VICE McBumey......

Holmberg.

288,035 Dixon............ 269/249 x 1,393,083 10/1921 Campbell...

22 Filed:

1125,802 6/1965 Steffen 2,844,981 7/1958 Steine.............,................

Primary ExaminerGranville Y. Custer, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Eugene F. Desmond AttorneyHerbert E Haynes, Jr.

[ References Cited ST ACT UNITED STATES PATENTS A portable vice is disclosed which is formed of a C- clamp that is adapted for rigid mounting to a strucp- P mm m w 8D. X u s a e m Cc u .m .m .l h w bm m d m mwa a V r osw D m. 4 M .w d s W m o m H I .w C t u 8 b.m0 m ewlv. m mu n imp xuxxx 5W787 M633 92999 Du O66 1 Harding............................

Schiemann L "m h 1 man an mu U b m m TMD 795 3 81345 89999 11111 I//// 1114 11 77937 32892 1 2 63986 52 23 1 1 1 222 PATENTEU 3,718,327 SHEET 2 OF 2 20 g x 42 W "I" l NVEN TOR. 45cm? 1?. A/u/Ve'z Maw/ AGE/V T PORTABLE VICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field ofthe Invention This invention relates to vices, and more particularly to a portable vice which is provided with auxiliary clamp means for positioning and holding a workpiece.

2. Prior Art In the building arts, construction workers are required to handle many types of elongated objects such as bolts, pipes, conduits and the like.

For example, electricians must measure, cut and install rigid or flex-conduits at many different locations throughout a construction site.

The present method of cutting relatively small objects, which may include items up to 1% inches in diameter, is to prop and brace the object in any convenient manner and cut it with standard tools such as a hacksaw, tubing cutter, and the like. In some instances, especially if the object is long, it requires two men to perform the cutting operation.

Large objects, such as pipes and conduits having an ID of l inches and larger are normally cut at a specific work area and carried to the various installation locations.

In either case, building codes require that the cuts be made square and are free of burrs so as not to damage the insulation of wires in electrical installations and to facilitate a water or gas tight joint in plumbing installations.

The hereinbefore described prior art method of cutting elongated objects without mechanical clamping devices results in many out-of-square cuts and large burrs which require time-consuming and thus costly cleanup.

Therefore, the need exists for a portable vice to facilitate cutting of elongated objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention claimed a portable vice is disclosed having a C-clamp which is adapted to be rigidly mounted to a structural member and is provided with auxiliary clamp means which cooperates with the C-clamp to supportingly position and hold a workpiece.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful portable vice which is simple to construct and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful portable vice which is adapted for rigid mounting to a structural member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful portable vice which is adapted for rig-id clamping to structural members of various dimensions and different cross-sectional configurations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful portable vice which is provided with auxiliary clamp means for releaseably holding a workpiece.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful portable vice which supportingly positions and holds a workpiece in a square attitude with respect to auxiliary clamp means provided on the portable vice.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful portable vice having a C-clamp which is provided with a pair of auxiliary clamp means for supportingly positioning and holding a workpiece in various positions.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself may be more fully understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the portable vice of the present invention illustrating the various features thereof;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the portable vice of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the portable vice of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of a modification of the portable vice of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a portable vice 10 in a typical working environment. The vice 10 is formed of a C-clamp 12 which may be fabricated of a conventional C-clam'p having a main arm 14 with parallel legs 16 and 18 extending perpendicularly from opposite ends thereof.

Leg 16 is provided with a fixed anvil 20, and leg 18 threadably carries movable anvil 22. The movable anvil is provided with the well-known swivel mount 24, elongated clamp screw 26 and handle 28.

The vice 10 may be fabricated in various sizes and when it is intended that the vice be used in a construction environment, the distance between the fixed anvil 20 and the fully retracted movable anvil 22 is preferably in excess of eight inches. With the span in excess of eight inches, the vice may be clamped to a stud in an unfinished wall or if the wall is finished, the vice may be secured to an opening such as a doorway or window opening.

The vice 10 is provided with auxiliary clamp means 30 which in the preferred embodiment comprises a first auxiliary clamp 32 and a second auxiliary clamp 34. It may readily be seen that the vice 10 would function quite well with only one auxiliary clamp, but is provided with a pair to provide greater versatility.

It should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of this invention to a specific type of auxiliary clamp, as various clamp devices (not shown) would work equally as well for specific applications. Examples of such clamping devices are chain-pipe wrenches, strap wrenches, chain-type pipe vices, C-clamps and the like.

In the preferred embodiment auxiliary clamps 32 and 34 are shown and described as locking plier wrenches which are standard tools having a fixed jaw 36, a movable jaw 38, locking handle 40, and release lever 42, among other items.

As seen best in FIGS. 1 and 3, locking plier wrench 32 is mounted on main arm 14 and is parallel with respect thereto, and is positioned so that jaws 36 and 38 extend beyond the end thereof. Therefore, with wrench 32 positioned as described the longitudinal axis 46 of a workpiece 44 held therein is positioned substantially perpendicular to the clamp screw 26 of the C- clamp so that the workpiece 44 is supportingly engaged by the clamp screw. To insure that the workpiece 44 is positioned square with respect to the jaws 36 and 38, the fixed jaw 36 is positioned so that its workpiece contacting surface 48 is level with the top of the clamp screw 26 as seen best in FIG. 2.

It is intended that the hereinbefore described method of mounting workpiece 44 will be the most frequently used method. However, if due to close quarters, orientation of the vice 10, and the like, this mounting method is not satisfactory, an alternate method may be used.

The alternate workpiece mounting method utilizes locking plier wrench 34 which is mounted on leg 16 of the C-clamp so that its jaws 36 and 38 extend beyond the end of the leg 16. With locking plier wrench 34 mounted in this fashion, a workpiece 50 mounted therein will have its longitudinal axis 52 positioned substantially perpendicular to workpiece 44 held in locking plier wrench 32 so that the workpiece 50 will be supportingly engaged by the workpiece 44.

To provide square mounting of workpiece 50in the jaws of locking plier wrench 34, the fixed jaw 36 of wrench 34 is spaced above the fixed jaw 36 of wrench 32. This relationship is best understood by considering distance 54 (FIG. 1) which shows the spatial relationship between the longitudinal axis 46 of workpiece 44 and the longitudinal axis 52 of workpiece 50.

Distance 54, and thus the spatial relationship between fixed jaws 36, is an arbitrary figure which may be decided by the size of a workpiece most commonly handled in a particular field. By way of example, an electrician may be working with conduit of flinch ID, this means that the OD of the conduit is Therefore, if the fixed jaws 36 are inches apart and workpiece 44 of "/3 inch diameter is used, workpiece 50 will be square with locking plier wrench 34.

Slight deviations in the square mounting of workpiece 50 may be ignored due to the relatively large span between workpiece 44 and the locking plier wrench 34. When larger deviations in the diameter of workpiece 50 affect the square mounting thereof, compensation may be made by changing workpiece 44 to one having a smaller or larger diameter.

Should it be desired that vice be adapted for rigid mounting to scaffolding or other tubular structural members, the fixed anvil is provided with an angular anvil 56 welded or otherwise fixedly attached thereto, as seen in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, a demountable angular anvil 58 is provided which may be removably mounted on the fixed anvil 20in a number of well-known manners. The demountable angular anvil 58 is provided with sleeve 60 which is fabricated with a slot 62 that is sized to slidingly engage fixed anvil 20.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the preferred embodiment, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications in structure, arrangements, proportions, the elements, and the materials used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operating requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true scope of the invention. 1

What I claim is:

1. A portable vice comprising:

a. A C-shaped frame having an elongated main arm and a pair of legs extending perpendicularly from the opposite ends of the main arm, the legs being parallel with respect to each other;

. a fixed anvil mounted on the outermost extending end of one of the legs of said frame and disposed to face the other of the legs;

. an elongated screw threadably mounted between its ends on the outermost extending end of the other of the legs of said frame and transversely positioned thereon to provide an inner end of said screw extending toward said fixed anvil and an outer end of said screw extending away from said fixed anvil;

. a movable anvil carried on the inner end of said elongated screw and disposed to face said fixed anvil for demountably attaching said frame to a support structure positionable therebetween; and

e. an auxiliary clamp means in which an elongated workpiece is releasably holdable, said clamp means fixidly mounted on the main arm of said frame and oriented thereon to position the longitudinal axis of the workpiece perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said elongated screw adjacentto the outer end thereof in a non-intersecting offset relationship, the amount of offset being approximately equal to one-half the diameter of said screw plus one-half the thickness dimension of the workpiece so that when the workpiece is held by said clamp means it may also be supported on the outer end of said elongated screw.

2. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first auxiliary clamp means is provided with a fixed jaw and movable jaw for releasably holding the workpiece, the workpiece contacting surface of the fixed jaw being positioned level with the peripheral surface of said elongated screw so that the workpiece is supportable thereon in a position which is square with respect to the jaws.

3. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fixed anvil is provided with an angular surface for adapting said frame for mounting to tubular structural members. I

4. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fixed anvil is provided with an angular anvil demountably attached thereto.

5. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 therein said auxiliary clamp means comprises a locking plier wrench.

6. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a second auxiliary clamp means adapted to releasably hold a second elongated workpiece, said second auxiliary clamp means fixedly mounted on the one of the extending legs of said frame and oriented thereon to position the longitudinal axis of the second workpiece substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means in a non-intersecting offset relationship with the amount of offset being substantially equal to one-half the thickness dimension of the second workpiece plus one-half the thickness dimension of the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means so that when the second workpiece is held by said second clamp means it may also be supported on the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means.

peripheral surface of the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means.

8. A portable vice as claimed in claim 6 wherein said second auxiliary clamp means comprises a locking plier wrench. 

1. A portable vice comprising: a. A C-shaped frame having an elongated main arm and a pair of legs extending perpendicularly from the opposite ends of the main arm, the legs being parallel with respect to each other; b. a fixed anvil mounted on the outermost extending end of one of the legs of said frame and disposed to face the other of the legs; c. an elongated screw threadably mounted between its ends on the outermost extending end of the other of the legs of said frame and transversely positioned thereon to provide an inner end of said screw extending toward said fixed anvil and an outer end of said screw extending away from said fixed anvil; d. a movable anvil carried on the inner end of said elongated screw and disposed to face said fixed anvil for demountably attaching said frame to a support structure positionable therebetween; and e. an auxiliary clamp means in which an elongated workpiece is releasably holdable, said clamp means fixidly mounted on the main arm of said frame and oriented thereon to position the longitudinal axis of the workpiece perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said elongated screw adjacent to the outer end thereof in a non-intersecting offset relationship, the amount of offset being approximately equal to one-half the diameter of said screw plus one-half the thickness dimension of the workpiece so that when the workpiece is held by said clamp means it may also be supported on the outer end of said elongated screw.
 2. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 whereiN said first auxiliary clamp means is provided with a fixed jaw and movable jaw for releasably holding the workpiece, the workpiece contacting surface of the fixed jaw being positioned level with the peripheral surface of said elongated screw so that the workpiece is supportable thereon in a position which is square with respect to the jaws.
 3. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fixed anvil is provided with an angular surface for adapting said frame for mounting to tubular structural members.
 4. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 wherein said fixed anvil is provided with an angular anvil demountably attached thereto.
 5. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 therein said auxiliary clamp means comprises a locking plier wrench.
 6. A portable vice as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a second auxiliary clamp means adapted to releasably hold a second elongated workpiece, said second auxiliary clamp means fixedly mounted on the one of the extending legs of said frame and oriented thereon to position the longitudinal axis of the second workpiece substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means in a non-intersecting offset relationship with the amount of offset being substantially equal to one-half the thickness dimension of the second workpiece plus one-half the thickness dimension of the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means so that when the second workpiece is held by said second clamp means it may also be supported on the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means.
 7. A portable vice as claimed in claim 6 wherein said second auxiliary clamp means is provided with a fixed jaw and a movable jaw for releasably holding the second elongated workpiece, the workpiece contacting surface of the fixed jaw of said second auxiliary clamp means being positioned substantially level with the peripheral surface of the workpiece holdable in said auxiliary clamp means.
 8. A portable vice as claimed in claim 6 wherein said second auxiliary clamp means comprises a locking plier wrench. 